Authentic P. O. S.?

General
1

ever since i got bitten by the one-wheeled bug, i’ve harboured one deep, dark and abiding fantasy
ok, two then
i’ve had this recurring dream where i walk into a secondhand shop of some description and find a unicycle
and do date, nada
kwestalapa lo faggalapa lo nothing
now u just know why i’m posting this today, doncha?
a friend of mine (and co GUS-member and unihoki player, JohnJ - those of u who pay attention would’ve seen his pic in the south african unihoki albums in the gallery) is very involved in inner-city projects and a variety of organisations who spend their time giving innercity kids something else to do apart from turning to drugs, gansterism and reading got together today and organised a day-long carnival at an inner-city park
the day’s festivities would however kick off with an hour long carnivale parade thru the streets of Hillbrow
think south-central LA and i think u’ll be in the ballpark
ok, good fun, nothing like waltzing thru the devils living room in a parade of freaks to spread some peace and love
in addition to the fantastic stilt-based creature-costumes they’ve made with these kids (and the dancers and drummers and ullulators and and and - about 400 kids/people worth), they also wanted some slightly more traditional carnival-types in the parade
enter dave, resplendant in johdpurs, striped shirt, waistcoat and riding hat, on his unicycle
i had to get up real early for this
06h30
i’m still not being spoken to, btw
headed out to the middle of town and drove a slightly different route to the way i normally take out of my suburb
my route takes me past a Hospice Charity Shop and what should i see in the window, but what seems to me to be an authentic Piece Of Schwinn

so i went back later
took some pics
and as soon as the 5 pics have uploaded, on the dial-up modem, this could be a while, i’ll add a link and u can check it outhere’s a link

i’m curious to find out if this is a particularly authentic Schwinn
and if anyone (bizzarre collectors?) would be interested in aquiring this rare find
it’s retailing for R500, transport and shipping would be yours
for south african subscribers to this forum, it’s the hospice shop just off 11th avenue in Parkmore, right opposite the Benmore Shopping Centre (in south africa a unicycle with a brand-name is quite a rarity so i suspect we’ll have more local interest in this piece… )
8-P

send word

ps. the best part of the parade this morning was riding a unicycle thru the streets of Hillbrow with the drums going, people singing and screaming and one lone scottsman playing ‘Sarie Marais’ (a VERY traditional Afrikaans folk-song) on his bagpipes
the word ‘priceless’ sprang to mind

2

Gild,

Yes, that looks like an 80’s vintage Schwinn 20".

Cotterless cranx, 28 spokes, metal rim, metal seat base with foam pad and vinyl cover.

I have a similar one in my garage that I picked up off e-bay a couple years ago for $40US, sans seat.

Check the rim and tire. It should be standard 20x1.75 which means any standard 20" tire should work. If it is still an S-7 rim and 1 3/4 tire the replacement tires are much more limited and harder to find.

The Schwinns are heavy but make a good work horse uni. The metal seat base and vinyl cover are easily converted to an air seat with a 12" tube.

I have not idea what R500 translates to. If you can get if for a song, sing away.

3

it looked like a 24 to me
surely the glass window couldn’t’ve distorted it THAT much?
did they make 24’s back then?

R500=$76

4

I didn’t look that close and assumed it was a 20. (And we all know what happens when we ASS-U-ME something.:o

Schwinn made 24’s too. My first uni was a '76 cottered 24 with 28 spokes. I rode it down thousands of curbs and steps with no aparent damage. Then I broke three spokes trying a foot drop about 20 years ago and finally replaced them just a couple years ago. It was my main ride until I went on my uni-buying binge. Now I keep it more for sentimental value more than anything else.

$76US would be too rich for my blood for 28 spokes. I would only pay up to $45US if I had a use for it. :roll_eyes:

5

From the pictures, it appears to be all original. Yes, it’s from around 1980-1983 (they stopped after that and then came back in 1986 with modifications). It also appears to be a 20" to me, though it’s hard to tell in pictures. Should be obvious enough in person…

Looks like the original rim and tire. This means tire replacement could be difficult. In the US this unicycle is not worth much, as there are many of them on sale at eBay at any given moment for around $40US. That price might be good for SA if someone is a collector, but I’m sure you can get a brand new one for a similar price.

On second thought, a Schwinn will hold up better than most of today’s entry-level unicycles.

6

still haven’t decided to sell anything so i could buy this uni but somehow didn’t want it to go towaste so i phoned the shop today and ‘offered’ them some free lessons they can sell with the uni
might get another rider
:slight_smile:

7

they are only worth 40 dollars …?

The tire I bought for mine … (non-whitewall) … was $18
(jeeze)

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8

My dad got one for 40$ at a pawn shop but it wasnt as knew as that one dave.